Wednesday, August 14, 2013

A few years ago a friend of mine was telling about a problem he was having with a co-worker that was annoying him. I couldn’t think of anything to say to him at the time except to wait. Then I told him the old Chuck Norris joke “Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep, he waits.” About a year later well after I had forgotten about his problem he thanked me and said that the Chuck Norris joke worked, every time his co-worker pissed him off, he would tell himself the Chuck joke and then he would laugh and let it go. Then after some time passed this co-worker started being nice to him and they became friends.

One of my favorite quotes from the Tao Te Ching is “The Tao never "acts" Yet nothing is left undone.” So much is happening all the time, billions of people are doing different things at any given moment, thousands of cars are passing my house, the sun comes up, the moon goes down, the earth is spinning, planets are rolling around the sun, an inconceivable number of galaxy’s are floating around in the universe etc.. All that is happening right now as you are reading this blog. Fish are being fish, dogs are being dogs, lions are being lions, and people are being people. All of this is happening on its own without any struggle it is all a naturally emanating.

Emanating from where and from what? Buddhism makes us seek this answer out for ourselves. This usually begins with sitting still and calming the mind. In the beginning it is like waiting at least for me. It was like being stuck in traffic on the NJ turnpike all there is to do is sit and wait turning up the radio doesn’t help, blowing the horn doesn’t help, smoking a pack of cigarettes doesn’t help just wait and things move on their own in their own time.

The same is true with meditation, trying to become enlightened is like blowing your horn while stuck in traffic at exit 8A on the NJ TP. It only makes more of out a situation that just is what it is. When we let go of all the horn blowing, turn off the radio, give up completely, even give up on the idea ever getting home, then… well that’s is it. No struggle necessary, and there was never a reason to struggle to begin with. Everything is perfect in this moment as it is.

“Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep”, stay aware of what is happening in this moment “wait” there is no need to struggle to just wait. Sometimes the best meditation advice I can give, and the best living life advice I can give is “Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep, he waits”

Here is quote from my favorite poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann that says it way better than I ever can.

“ And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”